‘Game Of Thrones’ Recap: Daenerys’ Army Grows; White Walkers Reappear

In ‘Oathkeeper’, the April 27 episode of ‘Game Of Thrones’, Daenerys’ army of ex-slaves grows larger, Jaime’s kinder, gentler side is explored further, and White Walkers make a terrifying reappearance.

Daenerys’ army grows ever larger in “Oathkeeper,” and Jaime becomes even more distant from his sister, Cersei. A number of other important plot points are set up in Episode 4 of Season 4 of Game Of Thrones, including the reveal of Littlefinger’s co-conspirators in Joffrey’s murder, Margaery beginning to woo her young husband-to-be, and White Walkers making a reappearance! Full recap below!

‘Game Of Thrones’ Recap: Daenerys Takes Control Of Meereen And Crucifies Some Slaveowners

“Oathkeeper” opens in Meereen, where Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) is teaching Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) how to speak English… presumably so that that actor can have more to do. Daenerys (Emilie Clarke) arrives and announces that it’s time — for her army to don collars and infiltrate Meereen as spies and convince the Meereeneese slaves to rebel against their Masters. Grey Worm and the rest of Dany’s army give them weapons and enlighten the slaves that there are three slaves to every Master and that if they want freedom, they have to take it.

In repayment for the 163 children that the slaveowners of Meereen nailed to posts along the desert path to Meereen, Dany does the same to them, listening to their screams from the perch of her new castle. (She does this against Ser Barristan’s advice to answer injustice with mercy. She prefers to answer it with justice. Go, Dany.)

‘Game Of Thrones’ Recap: Jaime Visits Tyrion In Prison

Over in King’s Landing, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is continuing his training with Bronn (Jerome Flynn). Bronn shames Jaime for not having visited his brother, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), in prison. Keep in mind that Cersei (Lena Headey) beseeched her twin to kill Tyrion for his suspicion in their son Joffrey’s murder.

Jaime, appropriately shamed, visits Tyrion, who is well aware of his plight — that Cersei would prefer him killed before his case ever even goes to trial. Jaime seems to believe him, but does not seem willing to commit the treason of freeing the man accused of killing the King. Does he believe him? Will he rescue him?

‘Game Of Thrones’ Recap: Littlefinger Is Creepy; Lady Olenna Is Sneaky But We Love Her For It

In a ship over an ocean somewhere, Sansa (Sophie Turner) is spending some quality time with Lord Petyr Baelish (Aiden Gillan). Sansa figures out what many astute viewers figured out last week — that Littlefinger was instrumental in orchestrating Joffrey’s death, and that the crystals on the necklace given to Sansa by Ser Dontos (Tony Way) were poison. Despite Joffrey being an “old friend” who gave Littlefinger a lordship but was foolhardy and unpredictable, his “new friends” are much more reasonable, predictable people who were interested in seeing Joffrey dead.

In what is unlikely to be a coincidence, the next scene cuts immediately to the Tyrells Olenna (Diana Rigg) and Margaery (Natalie Dormer). Olenna is advising her granddaughter to cozy up to the next in line to the throne — Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) — and then indirectly admits to having killed Joffrey. For inquiring minds, Margaery was totally surprised — she had nothing to do with it.

‘Game Of Thrones’ Recap: Jon Snow Makes A Friend

Over at Castle Black, what few crows are left are being led by Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in combat practice in an attempt to prepare for the thousand-or-so wildlings that are going to descend on them very, very soon. Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale), Acting Lord Commander of Castle Black, is warned to be a little nicer to Jon, because his popularity may soon put him as the proper Lord Commander in the event of a “choosing.”

We meet Locke (Noah Taylor), who seems friendly toward Jon, but whom we know to be an evil-doer. To refresh your memories, he’s one of the men who attempted to rape Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), and later threw her in a bear pit. He’s a friend to the Boltons, and was sent North to find Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) and Rickon Stark (Art Parkinson) in order to kill them properly and ensure the Boltons’ command of Winterfell.

‘Game Of Thrones’ Recap: Cersei Is Suspicious Of Jaime; Margaery Visits 12-Year-Olds In Their Bedrooms

Cersei is suspicious of Jaime and has a number of questions for her dear twin. Why did Catelyn Stark set him free? If Cersei commanded that Jaime leave the capital right now and find Sansa and kill her, would he do it? Why did he visit Tyrion? He doesn’t have a lot of answers in return. “That will be all, Lord Commander,” she says as she dismisses him. Pretty frosty.

In Tommen’s chambers, Margaery, that saucy minx, arrives to properly introduce herself to her wide-eyed future husband. Following her grandmother’s orders, she’s intent on making sure that Tommen trusts her and that Cersei doesn’t get to Tommen first by planting seeds of suspicion and turning him against Margaery. 12-year-old Tommen is more than happy to keep the beautiful, older, wiser Margaery’s secrets.

The next day, Jaime gifts Brienne with his Valyrian steel sword, which was forged from Ned Stark’s sword. Brienne will use it to find and defend Ned Stark’s daughters, as was the mission given to her by Catelyn (and to Jaime). He also gives her a suit of armor. And Pod (Daniel Portman), so that she can have a squire to travel with her! These two, you guys. Jaime is almost making me forget that he raped his own sister last week. Brienne names her sword “Oathkeeper.” They part. Jaime is to stay in King’s Landing while Brienne pursues her mission.

At Castle Black once again, Samwell (John Bradley) is fretting over Gilly (Hannah Murray) being in Mole’s Town, since the wildlings literally just massacred another small village not far from The Wall. Pretty valid concerns. They talk about Bran for a moment, how all that Jon wanted to do when Sam saw Bran on his way back from Craster’s to the wall, and suddenly Locke appears to interrupt their conversation. Did he hear Bran’s name?

Later, Jon announces that he’s going north to Craster’s Keep to capture the mutineers who will surely feed the wildlings the information that Castle Black’s army is paltry and unskilled — and that they need not delay in taking it. Jon asks for volunteers, and a few suckers stand — including Locke.

In Craster’s Keep, super gross things are happening! Craster’s daughters are being raped in every frame. What’s a Game Of Thrones episode without more than a little violence against women? One of the ex-Crow mutineers leave a male baby out in the forest as a sacrifice for whatever’s out there, as Craster did before them. The man goes to visit Ghost, Jon’s direwolf, who is locked in a cage outside.

Close by, Bran skinchanges and takes the point of view of Summer, his own direwolf, and sees Ghost in his cage. Bran enlists Hodor (Kristian Nairn) and Jojen (Thomas Sangster) and Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) to go visit Ghost. Predictably, they are captured by the Night’s Watch mutineers — they’re not fighters, these four. Bran admits who he is just as one of the men are about to — you guessed it — rape Meera. The ex-Crows are suddenly in a pretty fortuitous position!

Elsewhere, a White Walker on a zombie horse heads to his frozen, zombie headquarters with the male Craster baby in tow. He (it?) lays the baby in the center of a circle of ice pillars, and just as it seems like a different White Walker is going to eat it or kill it or whatever they’ve been doing with these babies, the White Walker touches the baby’s cheek and its eyes turn ice-blue — and appears to turn into a White Walker himself. Interesting!!

What did you think of “Oathkeeper,” HollywoodLifers? Does Jaime believe that Tyrion is innocent? Are you still as creeped out as I am by Jaime Lannister, rapist? (It’s kind of hard to shake.) What is up with the White Walkers? What’s their game? Vote above and comment below! Oh, and if you spoil the books for your fellow GoT fans, I’ll burn your crops in the night. Let’s all be friends!